The selection process for golfers to compete in the Olympics would be very different if it were up to two-time major champion Jon Rahm.
Ahead of the start of the men’s tournament at the Paris Olympics, the Spanish professional golfer proposed a different format: Lahm suggested that each country should be able to select its own golfers for the Summer Olympics.
Currently, golfers are selected based on their position in the World Golf Rankings. “There needs to be some guidelines,” Rahm told reporters. “But the U.S. basketball team is free to pick whoever they want.”
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Legion XIIIGC captain Jon Rahm hits from the sixth tee during the final round of LIV Golf Miami at Trump National Doral, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Doral, Florida. (Chris Trotman/LIV Golf via The Associated Press)
The Olympic qualification process was highlighted earlier this year when some players who competed on the LIV golf circuit were unable to qualify for the Summer Olympics, as LIV tournaments are not recognised in the world rankings.
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Seven LIV players, including Rahm, ended up traveling to France for this year’s Olympics, but others, such as Bryson DeChambeau, who won the U.S. Open in June, and fellow American Brooks Koepka, were not selected.
“I think we need to let each country choose who they want to play,” Lahm added.
Legion XIII captain Jon Rahm warms up on the practice range during the first day of the LIV Golf Invitational-Mayakoba at El Camaleon, Mayakoba on February 2, 2024 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. (Manuel Velazquez/Getty Images)
Ahead of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, golf was added to the Olympic Games.
Golf returned to the Summer Olympics more than eight years ago, after golfers had not participated in the games for more than a century.
Jon Rahm of Spain tees off on the 14th hole during day four of the DP World Tour Championship at the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates on November 19, 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Ross Kinnard/Getty Images)
Olympic golf is currently played over a traditional 72-hole format, but Rahm would welcome the addition of a “team element”.
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“It would be awesome to be on the same stage as the others,” Rahm said. “I’d like to do something different than what I do every day.”
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